Backbiter
Backbiter These sneaky hitmen specialize in inflicting damage and disabling their opponents in battle while still having a wide range of skills at their disposal Role: Backbiters excel at moving about unseen and catching foes unaware, they tend to avoid head-to-head combat. Alignment: Any Hit Die: d8 'Class Skills' The backbiter's class skills are acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Stealth (Dex) Skill Ranks at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier. 'Class Features' The following are the class features of the backbiter. '''Weapon and Armor Proficiency '''Backbiters are proficient with all simple weapons plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. They are proficient with light armor, but not shields. '''Sneak Attack '''If a backbiter can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage The backbiter's attack deals extra damage everytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC(whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the backbiter flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at first level and increases by 1d6 every two backbiter levels thereafter. Should the backbiter score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), a backbiter can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that dels lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty. The backbiter must be able to see the taret well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A backbiter cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment. '''Singular Focus '''A backbiter may select a target whenever combat is commenced, the backbiter then gets all the relevant bonuses of favored enemy against the target and that target alone(but not other members of it's race) until the target is eliminated, at which point he may not select another target for the remainder of the combat. This grants the backbiter a +2 bonus to weapon attack and damage roles against the target. '''Poison Use '''A backbiter is trained in the use of poison and cannot accidentally poison themselves when applying poison to a blade. '''Evasion (Ex) '''At 2nd level or higher, a backbiter can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the backbiter is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless backbiter does not gain the benefit of evasion. '''Deadly Secrets '''As a backbiter gains experience, she learns a number of secrets that aid her in the art of murder. Starting at 2nd level, a backbiter learns one deadly secret. She learns an additional deadly secret for every 2 levels of backbiter attained after 2nd level. A backbiter cannot select an indivual deadly secret more than once unless specified. ''Arterial Strike ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 1d6 to cause a wound that bleeds for 1 hit-point per round. The wound continues to bleed until it is magically healed or successfully bandaged by a Heal Check vs. DC 15. Multiple bleeding wounds stack. ''Burning Link ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 2d6 to damage both your target and the creature with which your target has a mystic link (i.e. a wizard's familiar, a druid/rangers animal companion, a paladins special mount etc.) Your target takes the damage from the weapon, your strength modifier, etc while the linked creature takes the remaining sneak attack dice (assuming it is vulnerable to sneak attack damage.) ''Concussion Attack ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 2d6 to impose a -2 penality on the target's Intelligence & Wisdom-based ability checks & skill checks for 10 rounds. Subsequent uses of this ability do not stack, but do reset the ability's duration. ''Dazzling Strike ''On a successful sneak attack, your foe is dazzled for 1 round for each sneak attack die you choose to forgo using this ability, Both you and your for must be in Bright Illumination to use this ability. ''Deft Strike ''As a standard action, you can attempt to find a weak spot in a visible target's armor with a Perception Check (DC = Target's AC). If you succeed, your next attack (which must be made no later than the end of your next turn) ignores the target's Armor and Natural Armor bonuses, as well as Enhancement bonuses to these. If you use a ranged attack, you must be within 30' to gain the benefit of this ability. ''Disembowling Strike ''On a successful sneak attack with a slashing weapon with which you have Weapon Focus, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 4d6 to deal 1d4 Constitution damage. A foe may only recieve a disemboweling strike once per day. ''Eldritch Erosion ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 4d6 to reduce your foe's spell resistance by 5 for 10 rounds. Multiple uses do no stack, but do reset the duration. ''Foe Specialist ''Choose a creature type from the Ranger Favored Enemy list that is vulnerable to critical hits. Your sneak attacks do +1d6 against this type of creature. You may learn this secret multiple times, each with a different type of creature. ''Lacerate ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 3d6 to caise your foe to lose use of one of his/her hands for 1 minute (Fort Negates, DC = 10 + 1/2 character level + damage dealt). Any object in the disabled hand is dropped, the foe cannot wield two-handed weapons etc. This ability only applies to living creatures who can feel pain. ''Painful Strike ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 2d6 to cause your foe intense pain for 1 minnute, resulting in a -2 penality on attacks, skill checks, and ability checks. This ability only applies to living creatures who can feel pain. ''Persistent Attacker ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 4d6 to make your first attack on the next round against the same foe to be considered a sneak attack too, even if circumstances have changed. ''Powerful Poisons ''Any poisons you apply to weapons you weild have their DC's increased by 2. You may take this ability more than once and it's effects stack. ''Precise Strike ''When making a sneak atack you may reduce the number of sneak attack dice that will apply damage in exchange for a +2 competence bonus to hit per die sacrificed. ''Sacred Strike ''When you succeed with a sneak attack aggainst an evil foe, roll d8's for the sneak attack damage(instead of d6's) and the damage qualifies as 'good' damage for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. ''Sneak Attack of Opportunity ''On your first attack of opportunity of the round, add your sneak attack dice to the damage. ''Staggering Strike ''If you deal damage with a melee sneak attack, your opponent is staggered for one round (Fort negates, DC = damage dealt). If the target is treated with the Heal Skill (DC 15) or any spell that heals at least one hit point, the effect is also removed. This ability has no effect on creatures immune to sneak attack damage. ''Telling Blow ''When you confirm a critical hit with either a melee or ranged weapon, add your sneak attack dice to the damage after the multiplier has been applied. ''Weaken the Heart ''On a successful sneak attack, you may reduce the sneak attack dice by 2d6 to bring your foe to the border of physical distress (Fort Negates, DC = 10 + 1/2 character level + Intelligence Modifier). If a foe then attempts a Strength, Dexterity-based skill or a concentration check within 10 minutes, he/she immediately becomes fatigued. If already Fatigues he/she becomes Exhausted. '''Uncanny Dodge (Ex) '''Starting at 4th level, a backbiter can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She cannot be caught flat-footed nor does she lose her Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A backbiter with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against her. '''Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex) '''A backbiter of 8th level or higher can no longer be flanked. This ability denies a foe the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least 2 more sneak attack dice than the target does. '''Slippery Mind (Ex) '''Starting at 15th level, the backbiter gains the ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a backbiter with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She only gets this one extra chance to succeed on her saving throw. '''Blood Artist (Ex) '''At 20th level the backbiter may double its sneak attack die against the target of its singular focus ability. Category:Core Classes